THE PROSPECT OF a leadership challenge to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer grew after Andy Burnham was cleared to run for selection in a byelection in the north of England. 

The Greater Manchester mayor is seeking to replace Josh Simons, who is standing down as an MP for the Makerfield constituency to make way for Burnham to return to the House of Commons.

Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), has granted Burnham permission to stand in the selection process.

Applications close on Monday and the NEC will endorse a candidate on Thursday. The earliest date a byelection could take place is thought to be 18 June.

If he is successfully elected, Burnham is widely expected to challenge Starmer for the party leadership.

Burnham’s previous bid to contest a byelection, in Gorton and Denton, was rejected by an NEC’s officers committee, which included Starmer.

While Makerfield is typically a safe seat for Labour, the party expects a stiff challenge from Reform UK this time around.

Simons secured a majority of just 5,399 over Nigel Farage’s party at the 2024 general election.

Since then, Labour’s polling collapse and Reform’s surge have seen their positions reverse.

This month’s local elections saw Reform win every council ward in the Makerfield constituency, securing around half the vote, while Labour won only a little more than a quarter.

But Burnham could benefit from his strong personal following across the North West, where he enjoys a net favourability rating of 24% according to pollster Ipsos – considerably higher than any of the party leaders or the Labour Party itself.

A Survation forecast suggested that with Burnham as a candidate, Labour is more likely to win than Reform UK, but without him, Farage’s party is likely to take the seat.

Candidate selection processes are already under way for Reform UK and the Greens.

Today, Wes Streeting – who quit as health secretary this week but stopped short of triggering a leadership contest – is set to make his first public appearance since he resigned when he speaks at a conference.

Streeting is among those who have backed Burnham’s bid to fight the impending byelection, saying Labour needs “our best players on the pitch”.

Allies of the Ilford North MP have said he would be a candidate in any forthcoming leadership battle.

They added Streeting had made clear in his resignation letter that he wanted a contest to feature “the broadest set of candidates possible”.

If he did not step down, Starmer would automatically be on the ballot paper in any Labour leadership race, and Downing Street has continued to insist that he would fight any effort to oust him.

But an unnamed Cabinet minister loyal to Starmer described the British prime minister as much less categorical about his future in private, telling the Daily Telegraph he was keeping “all options” open.

The Times has reported that Starmer could approve an £18 billion (€20.7 billion) boost to defence spending next week as he battles to save his premiership.

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The British government’s defence investment plan has been long delayed and Defence Secretary John Healey has been pushing privately for a substantial uplift for some time, which he sees as essential to meet the rising threats facing the UK, it is understood.

“The defence investment plan will deliver the best kit and technology into the hands of our frontline forces at speed, while investing in and growing the UK economy,” a spokesperson said.

“We are working to finalise the plan and it will be published as soon as possible.”

UK Education Secretary Bridget Philipson told BBC Radio 4’s The Week in Westminster programme that Burnham would be a “strong candidate” but said Starmer had her “full support”.

“He’s been a great mayor in Greater Manchester. I’ve worked with him really closely on everything from SEND reform to skills, further education, so I know he’ll be a strong candidate in putting himself forward.”

She added: “I’ll be campaigning for whoever the Labour candidate is in the by-election in Makerfield. That’s my responsibility.”

Deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell reiterated her support for Burnham, telling the Guardian: “Should he be our candidate, Andy’s story, Andy’s narrative, Andy’s connection to the place will absolutely be at the forefront of it all. He is very much what keeps a seat like that in play for us.”

Former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, who stepped down on Tuesday, said to The Times: “It feels very untenable at the moment. He can’t ignore the dissent within his own ranks… Keir’s got to start making clear his vision for the country. He tried this week, and it didn’t work.”